very contentious hearing complete with barnyard language on capitol hill. anthony mason is our senior business correspondent and, anthony, things got pretty hot in that senate hearing room. >> they did, katie. goldman execs got an all-day grilling. see owe lloyd blankfein had to defend himself and his company against accusations that goldman sachs, one of the country's most profitable and powerful banks, was running a casino. >> we didn't have a massive short against the housing market and we certainly did not bet against our clients. >> reporter: lloyd blankfein's testimony did little to persuade the senate committee. >> it's gambling. pure and simple raw gambling. >> reporter: missouri senator claire mccaskill compared goldman sachs to a bookie. >> you had less oversight than a pit boss in las vegas. >> reporter: but nevada's senator took offense at the las vegas analogy. >> in las vegas, actually, people know that the odds are against them. >> reporter: through eight hours of interrogation, goldman

executives held their ground. >> we did not cause the financial crisis. >> reporter: and offered no regrets. >> regret to me means something that you feel like you did wrong and i don't have that. >> reporter: daniel sparks is the former head of goldman sachs mortgage department. >> we made some poor business decisions in hindsight. >> reporter: but the senate subcommittee said e-mails showed that as the financial crisis deepened, goldman sachs made a massive bet the housing market would collapse. in effect, betting against mortgages that goldman-- at least in part-- helped to finance. >> they became the chips in a giant casino. >> reporter: the hearing included the first appearance by the goldman vice president known in e-mails as the fabulous fab. >> my name is fabrice tourre and i work at goldman sachs international in london. >> reporter: tourre is the only executive named in the s.e.c.'s fraud case against the bank which accuses goldman of deceiving its clients about an

investment allegedly designed to fail i deny categorically the s.e.c.'s allegations and i will defend myself in court against this false claim. >> reporter: but michigan senator carl levin quoted from this company e-mail which used a vulgarity to describe another investment called timberwolf which goldman was trying to sell. how much of that [no audio] deal did you sell... >> some context might be helpful. >> i tell you, the context is mighty clear. that timberwolf was one [no audio] deal. >> reporter: goldman's chief financial officer later cringed at the quote. >> i think that's very unfortunate to have on e-mail. (audience reacts) >> what does that e-mail suggest? >> it suggests goldman knew the financial products they were selling to clients were very likely to fail and not be profitable. >> reporter: maine senator susan collins asked the bankers to define their duty to customers.

>> did the firm expect you to act in the best interest of your clients? >> i believe it... we have a duty to serve our clients well. >> i guess, mr. chairman, then i'm not going to get an answer to my question any more than you did with yours. >> reporter: goldman executives argued they did not place a massive bet against the housing market but conceded that in 2007 they made a half a billion dollar profit on their mortgage investments. katie? >> couric: anthony, who do you think made the stronger case today? was it congress or goldman sachs? and did this really serve the public in any way? >> i think the public would have had a hard time understanding it. it was almost in a foreign language, katie. both sides dug in. i didn't see any clear ground gained here and goldman sachs stock today remained largely flat when the market was down which suggest there is wasn't really any further damage to them. goldman continues to insist they did not cross a line here, but

the larger issues still may be that that line needs to be moved. >> couric: all right. anthony mason, anthony, thank you very much. as anthony mentioned, it appears wall street believes goldman executives held their own today. goad man stock rose as much as $4. it closed with a gain of just over one dollar. the rest of the market, meanwhile, was in freefall, the dow plunged more than 200 points after the greek government's credit rating was reduced to junk status. the fear is the greek financial crisis will spread. and now back to capitol hill where, for the second day in a row, senate republicans managed to block that financial reform bill from getting to the floor for debate. congressional correspondent nancy cordes tells us businesses outside the financial industry are split about what reform would mean to them. >> reporter: beer distributors, candy makers and clothing manufacturers all say they're worried the new rules meant to reign in wall street would end up swamping them. >> we don't belong in this bill.

>> reporter: ed tonkin owns 14 awe doe dealerships in portland, oregon, he's one of a hundred dealers who urged senators today to exempt them from oversight by the new consumer protection agency that would be created by the bill. >> auto dealers are not banks. we don't lend the money. "i didn't cause the financial crisis" says an orthodontist in the new add from the chamber of commerce. it argues that dentist or any company that allows customers to pay in installments could come in for more regulation under the democrats' bill. >> this is a bill like an octopus. it reaches out into anybody, any business. >> reporter: not every industry is upset. the airlines are applauding a move to make commodities like oil less susceptible to speculation. >> in 2008 during the height of the fuel crisis, we burned the same amount of fuel as we did in 2003, yet it cost us $42 billion more for that fuel. >> reporter: and financial experts say a lot of the fehr

throughout is overblown. >> i understand why the uncertainty makes people nervous but this bill really is aimed at people who do a significant amount of financial business. >> reporter: in fact, he claims, the bill bends over backwards to go easy on community banks which have a lot of political sway here on capitol hill. katie? >> couric: nancy, getting back to the politics of all of this, as we said, republicans blocked the bill again today. is this harry reid's plan? hold a vote to bring the bill to the floor for debate everyday and then force the republicans to vote against that? >> reporter: well, he scheduled another vote for tomorrow at least, katie. democrats say they have a number of tactics planned to try to force republicans to keep negotiations going behind the scenes. they think republicans don't want to make too many more of these "no" vote which is they believe paint republicans as the party of wall street. >> couric: all right. nancy cordes on capitol hill. nancy, thank you. meanwhile, president obama is doing all he can to portray republicans as the party of wall

street as he travels to the heartland. over two days, he's visiting iowa, illinois, and missouri, states where democrats are facing tough contests in upcoming congressional elections. our chief white house correspondent chip reid is traveling with the president and chip, i know financial reform wasn't the first thing on the agenda, but in iowa today, it certainly came up. >> well, it sure, did, katie. that the town hall in ottumwa, iowa, the president had some unusually harsh words for republicans. >> i just want to let them debate it. and you know, you've learned these senate rules are complicated. so they won't even let it get on the floor to be debated. it's one thing to oppose reform, but to oppose just even talking about reform in front of the american people and having a legitimate debate, that's not right. >> reporter: now, the white house believes that's a message that really resonates across the country, but especially here in

the battleground states of the midwest. but as you said, kate katie, financial reform is not at the top of the agenda on this trip. at the top of the agenda is jobs and that has not been an easy sell. at a factory in fort madison, iowa, the president was so fascinated by wind turbine blades that he asked perhaps one too many questions. >> and then you inject the resin? >> that's our pry pry tear, that's our secret. >> reporter: but he made no secret of the fact that the success of this plant is largely due to a $3.5 million tax credit from the stimulus bill. >> just a few short years ago, this facility was dark, it was quiet, nothing was going on. and today it's alive and humming with more than 600 employees. >> reporter: but in ottumwa, iowa, protestors say it's offensive for the president to brag about creating jobs when unemployment in this town is 9.5%. small business owner randy

bradley says the president's policies are killing private sector job creation. >> this unprecedented federal spend has tightened credit markets because every dollar they spend they have to tax or borrow out of the private economy. >> reporter: tomorrow, the president takes his jobs and financial reform message to small towns in illinois and missouri. i think it's fair to say that for the president, the midterm campaign has begun. katie? >> couric: chip reid traveling with the president in iowa tonight. chip, thank you. now to the scandal in the roman catholic church. the vatican official who deals with sex abuse cases is an american cardinal in rome. and today in a rare interview with the public broadcasting service, he answered questions about the growing crisis. here's elaine quijano. >> reporter: cardinal william levada, head of the vatican's office which enforces church doctrine said the catholic church's sex abuse crisis could include more bishops resigning. >> there's no way of predicting that, but i wouldn't be

surprised. >> reporter: is there a new test really, a new standard for bishops to meet in the way they handle clergy sex abuse cases? >> i think the standard is not new but it's being applied more rigorously than in the past. >> reporter: levada, who once served as an archbishop in oregon and california now holds the office previously held by the pope. he called the crisis particularly grave. >> this is anything but being a good shepherd when you abuse children, when you violate their innocence. this is a crisis, if you will, that i think caught most of us by surprise. one bishop told me this isn't the cruise i signed up for. but that's, in fact, what has happened. >> reporter: that surprise is likely to spark outrage among abuse victims who maintain their warnings to bishops went unheeded for years. and when asked how many times pedophile priests had been moved >> the question about how many times priests were transferd is not something that we have here.

it may be included in the file or it may not. >> reporter: would you ever publicize the names of those? >> the names are public. i mean, they're... they're public in the diocese. >> reporter: as for pope benedict, levada noted his meetings with abuse victims should serve as an example for bishops and on whether a public apology is forthcoming... >> we'll have to wait and see. but i wouldn't be surprised. >> reporter: elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. >> couric: in ukraine today, lawmakers gave a whole new meaning to the term "rough and tumble" politics. as mark phillips shows us, things got way out of control in parliament today as an important vote turned into a circus. >> reporter: the speaker of ukraine's parliament was either expecting rain or knew trouble was coming. when the rain came, it poured eggs. this is a filibuster ukrainian style. the egg artillery barrage ended when the attackers ran out of ammunition and the infantry

moved in for hand-to-hand combat. for a while it looked like a hockey game broke out. passes run high in ukraine over one central issue: the russians. and their black sea fleet based in the ukrainian port of sew vast pole. ukrainian nationalists want the fleet out. but the government has just agreed to a new lease with the russians which will keep them there until the year 2042. in exchange, the ukrainians get a discount on russian gas. and gas or smoke was the next stage of the parliamentary debate. the intent was to try to stop the vote authorizing the newport lease. but the vote happened and passed much to the displeasure of the crowd of protestors who had gathered outside, perhaps trying to get inside to get a better view of the serious political debate going on there. mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> couric: and coming up next on the "cbs evening news," lining up at an arena.

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>> couric: the new health reform law won't extend coverage to americans who don't have it until 2014. today hundreds of the ininsured lined up at the los angeles sports arena where a mobile clinic is providing free health care. bill whitaker is at the clinic tonight. bill, this is a big operation and clearly a lot of folks need it. >> reporter: absolutely, katie.

behind me here, 100 dental chairs with fillings, extrackss, cleanings going on, all for free. they lined up before dawn, hundreds of people with hundreds of reasons to seek free medical care. carlia williams lost her job. >> in the process of losing my job, i lost all my medical and dental. >> reporter: josh mcgrew works but can't afford health insurance. >> i'm here to get some people... >> reporter: elizabeth valencia needs extensive dental work. >> just not affordable, at all for me. >> reporter: so they, like people in need from around los angeles... >> everybody make one single line. >> reporter: ...poured into l.a.'s sports arena for physical exams, eye exams, glasses, screenings, tests and dental work. 300 medical volunteers serving 1,200 patients a day for the next week. all free, all thanks to stan brock. >> gosh, you know, there really is a problem here in the united states. it's not just in the amazon and

places like haiti. >> reporter: rock started remote area medical 25 years ago, getting american doctors to volunteer and bring modern medicine to the third world. today... >> 64% of everything we do is here in america. >> reporter: his first l.a. clinic last year-- his largest ever-- served 6,334 patients. he expects 2,000 more this year. >> middle-class people here, we have a lot of working poor here. >> reporter: people rocked by recession and mandatory health care reform doesn't kick in for four years. >> meanwhile, we tell patients to wait? we can't. >> reporter: even with health reform, the most affordable plan won't cover adult vision or dental care. but today a happy ending. daisy glover got a chipped tooth repaired to go on a job interview. >> oh, yes! that is beautiful. >> reporter: these chairs have been filled all day. this goes on from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for seven days. katie? >> couric: bill whitaker reporting from los angeles,

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miles off the louisiana coast. the oil is leaking from a well beneath a blown out oil rig and robotic subs have not been able to plug it. turning now to religion, a new survey suggests young americans are not keeping the faith. researchers spoke with 1,200 people between the ages of 19 and 30. about two out of three said they rarely or never pray with others and don't read the bible or any sacred text. and coming up next, after a hurricane, a town rebuilds-- relying on the kindness of a very famous stranger. granola nut clusters from nature valley. 100% natural nuts and granola in bite sized clusters. it's a little bit of nature... a little bit better. and nature approves. granola nut clusters from nature valley.

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should talk to their doctor because serious stomach problems, such as bleeding, may worsen. [ woman ] mom's diagnosis was hard to hear, but there's something i can do. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more. a deep ache all over. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now i can do more of what i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing or skin or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness,

weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. >> couric: we end tonight with an answered prayer. after they were hit by a devastating hurricane, the people of a small town in south texas prayed for help. and someone famous was listening. mark strassmann now with tonight's "american spirit." >> reporter: moving day. a very moving day in oak island, texas. >> nervous. got butterflies like i'm on my first date. >> reporter: new homes for a

dozen families. gifts from a stranger. >> you know, when hurricane ike hit, we thought that... we thought that was the end. >> reporter: in september of 2008, hurricane ike splintered oak island. 350 homes, 345 of them ruined. esther nelson slept in her car or a tent for months. >> i thought i would never be able to overcome this. >> reporter: dozens of families here were left high, dry, and homeless and they desperately needed help from someone. a church circle prayed in the ruins for a miracle. a stranger joined them, never said a word, just listened. >> nobody knew who he was until after it was over. >> reporter: the stranger was neil diamond. ♪ can't stand still while the music is playing... ♪ >> reporter: yup, that neil diamond. >> if i'd have knew it was him,

i would have hugged him and told them to sing me "sweet caroline." >> reporter: diamond had a concert and wanted to see the devastation. >> you couldn't help be moved by this terrible situation. i just decided that i would do whatever i could do to help. ♪ sweet caroline... >> reporter: he donated profits from his concert merchandise, raised $1.7 million and rebuilt a dozen homes on oak island. >> i'm gonna grab him and hug him and tell him how thankful i am. >> reporter: but he'd never seen the payoff until we showed him. >> the payoff is beautiful. they are in their homes. they are shelterd from the storm. >> reporter: esther nelson says her neil diamond home is a gem. >> it's not going to blow away or wash away. i'm here to stay. >> reporter: and steve shiver, for months his family slept on a tug boat.

>> a prayer and a gentleman called neil diamond and we have a home. >> i am so grateful that i was one of the recipients. >> i'm going to quietly go back and say hi to these people and maybe get invited for dinner and have a good old time. ♪ sweet caroline... >> reporter: in oak island, the good times never seemed so good. mark strassmann, cbs news, oak island, texas. >> couric: what a great story and what a great guy. thanks, neil. and this is the "cbs evening news." i'm katie couric. thanks for watching. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. [ male announcer ] this year, get the most out of your lawn with the fertilizer that gives you the most for your money. scotts turf builder. it has what other fertilizers don't. scotts patented all in one granule. every key nutrient combined into a single particle so every part of your lawn gets more even feeding.

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maksim's secret "dancing" crush revealed. this is "entertainment tonight." which star dancer is driving maks wild? it's not erin. donny osmond's backstage love investigation. >> announcer: what's going on, dude? >> it's magic. plus -- who's going home tonight? the las vegas odds. as the dancers practice their winner's faces. then -- >> marie osmond is back on qvc. >> marie's first tv appearance after her son's suicide. smiling through the pain with her daughter by her side. >> my support system right here. new video of sandra's husband jesse taking his daughters to school. "the latest news" after leaving rehab.